A debate about parking has caused plans around uptown beautification to change.
City Council had planned to spend more that $1.3 million on making upper Third more pedestrian friendly by reducing the road from 4 lanes to two, and getting a critical $400,000 grant for bike lanes.
But many people argue problems of drug addiction, homelessness and poverty in the area need to be addressed first before beautification projects can start.
Mayor Sharie Minions says council is well-aware of mental health and addictions issues in the area.
“And we are not trying to ignore that issue to pursue a beautification project by any means. We are very focussed on that issue, even though it’s largely Provincial and Federal in terms of how it should be funded,” she said. “We are working in a number of ways to make improvements to the current situations of mental health, addictions and homelessness and everything that goes with that, alongside this work.”
At yesterday’s council meeting, plans to change from angle to parallel parking was reversed, and Councillor Cindy Solda suggested the entire project be put on hold.
Mayor Sharie Minions said the debate will help shape the project, which is far from finalized.
“I think that our council is doing what a good council should, and that is taking a project that is a big project that is a fundamental shift in how we look at a streetscape and how we look at an area, and we are having good discussion about that, and we are listening to the public, and trying to take that input as we decide how to move forward,” she said.
The $1.3 million Uptown beautification project wasn’t on council’s agenda yesterday afternoon, but once discussion started it went on for more than half an hour.
In the end, council agreed to not change from angle to parallel parking along upper Third, and continue to discuss the plan at upcoming meetings.
Minions will be meeting with Uptown business owners this morning.
